Thursday, August 11, 2011

I love Experience Life Magazine and not just because they published this article on the benefits of massage.
They have a slew of great articles on their website free for the reading. Follow the above link and poke around.

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Well, I was going to write up some info on the science behind cell food but decided that I really couldn't a better job than the Lumina Health Products site. ﻿Click on the link to visit the website and read all about it.

For the month of August, purchase a bottle of cell food from us and we'll deduct $10.00 from the cost of your massage.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

I first tried cell food on a friend's recommendation and quite honestly didn't feel a whole lot going on at first. Figuring it might take time to see a difference, I kept using it. Then our beloved dog, Morgan, who was then about 8 was diagnosed with a liver tumor.

We were told that it looked aggressive and had practically cut her liver in half. Her liver enzymes were through the roof. The vet told us that she most certainly didn't have long to live, a week, a month, maybe a couple of months. I decided that cell food certainly couldn't make it worse and the liver support it would give might just make it better and started adding a few drops to her daily water.

Amazingly enough she perked up and went on to live another 9 years! During that entire time she got 2-4 drops of cell food daily. She'd have times when she showed signs of liver issues and I'd up the cell food and she'd rally. We never did have her liver enzymes retested. The vet just said to keep doing whatever the heck we were doing and that is what we did.

A few years into this a woman read my comments on Cell food and what it was doing for Morgan on a forum I frequented. She emailed me to tell me that her small dog had kidney disease and through the roof liver enzymes. I told her that the way we dose Morgan was totally trial and error. She decided to give it a try. She emailed me a week later and said that her dog's liver enzymes were normal. Her vet had told her that he had never seen a dog's liver enzymes drops so quickly. He asked her about the product she had given the dog.

In my mind this testimonial and the sight of our beloved dog walking around, still enjoying life was plenty to keep us buying and using cell food. Back then we didn't take it daily though I pretty much do now. We kept it around for times when we were sick, felt a cold coming on or just felt tired and worn out. We still do.

So that is why I believe in cell food. I'll get back soon to write about the science behind cell food, what it does and why it works.

Monday, August 1, 2011

During the month of August we'll discount your massage by $10.00 when you purchase a bottle of Cell Food. Cell Food is a product that my family and our pets have trusted and used for over a decade. Next time you're in please ask for a sample to enjoy in your post massage water. We now stock this product for immediate purchase.

We will continue to run the special on Swiss Just products from last month as well.

Water is life's mater and matrix, mother and medium. There is no life without water. ~ Albert Szent-Gyorgyi

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

During the month of June we’re featuring our Mysoskeletal Alignment Techniques. We’ll spend a half an hour unraveling your neck and shoulders and then finish by spending a half an hour releasing your entire back. Delicious relaxation that leaves you feeling loose as a goose for only $65.00 .

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

I just finished C25K Week 4 Run 3! I'm running in my Vibram Five Finger Shoes for a total of 16 minutes now.

I was getting bored with running on our roads and tired of being chased by two somewhat agressive dogs and decided to take my run to my favorite trail today.

This picture was taken a few weeks ago when my nephew's Flat Stanley visited for two weeks. It's a shot of a bridge I run over when I run on the trail.

I am so much more of a trail runner than a road runner! I love watching how the trail changes with the seasons. Right now there are these little white wild flowers that I think of as Swiss Alpine flowers and also tiny purple wild violets sprinkled along the sides of the trail.

So am I recommending that everyone run barefoot? No. What I do think that everyone shoulddo is free their feet! Heck women burned their bras in the 60s! Free those tootsies for at least a few minutes a day. Take your shoes off, root your feet into the ground and give those toes a good waggle. If your feet hurt when you're bare footed then limit the amount of time you spend bare footed (inside at first) to what is comfortable. As you walk around the house notice the different textures of your floors. If you feet hurt see if you can stand or walk in a way that makes them stop hurting. Then give them a good rub and thank them for carrying you through life.

If this idea appeals to you try the toe tapping exercises I posted. You'll find them under the Posture Rebalancing area. The formatting is mess up - sorry. I'm going to fix it but just haven't had time to do so.

I'm also working on a recipe for a natural essential oil based insect repellent. What I used today worked well but smelled strong enough that I wouldn't recommend wearing it to a picnic. I'll post the final recipe once I perfect it.

Waving bye bye to you - with my bare foot. Bwahahahaha!

As we acquire more knowledge, things do not become more comprehensible but more mysterious. ~ Albert Schweitzer

Monday, May 23, 2011

This stretch is great for working out neck and shoulder kinks. Once you get good at it you may feel the stretch all the way up into your scalp.

Seated FormSit forward in a sturdy chair. You want to have between 6 and 8” between your back and the back of the chair. Your knees should be together - touching. Your feet should also be together – heels and balls of the feet touching. If you cannot hold your knees and feet together, make certain that they are as close to touching as is possible and work toward bringing them together over time.

You will rest your hands on your thighs.

• Head straight ahead, drop your chin to your chest. As long as you’re comfortable and can breathe freely allow your chin to rest there for 5-6 seconds; relax the same amount of time. (Enough time for you to take in a deep breath and let it out again.)• Chin still touching the chest as long as possible, slide your chin to the right in a semi circle until you are looking at your right shoulder. (Don’t allow the left shoulder to pull forward.) Hold for 5-6 seconds; relax the same amount of time. (Enough time for you to take in a deep breath and let it out again.)• Lift your chin to a level position and look out over your right shoulder. Hold for 5-6 seconds; relax the same amount of time. (As before)• Now try to even look a little behind your shoulder. Hold for 5-6 seconds; relax the same amount of time.• Again look out over your shoulder. Hold for 5-6 seconds; relax the same amount of time.• Look down at your shoulder. Hold for 5-6 seconds; relax the same amount of time.• Drop your chin and roll it in that semi-circle pattern and right on up to the left side and you are looking at your left shoulder. (Don’t allow the right shoulder to pull forward.) Hold for 5-6 seconds; relax the same amount of time.• Lift your chin to a level position and look out over your left shoulder. Hold for 5-6 seconds; relax the same amount of time.• Now try to even look a little behind your shoulder. Hold for 5-6 seconds; relax the same amount of time.• Again look out over your shoulder. Hold for 5-6 seconds; relax the same amount of time.• Look down at your shoulder. Hold for 5-6 seconds; relax the same amount of time.• Drop your chin and roll it in that semi-circle until your chin is once again centered on your chest. Hold for 5-6 seconds; relax the same amount of time.• Lift your chin and feel how relaxed your shoulders and neck feel.*This exercise should not be considered medical advice. If you develop pain as a result of this exercise or existing pain becomes worse please discontinue using it immediately.

Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness. ~ Edward Stanley

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Simple Body Moisturizer2 parts pure Aloe Vera gel1 part high quality oil (I like Jojoba oil)A few drops of pure essential oil (Lavender and Lemongrass are two of my favorites)Mix ingredients together in a clean dry bottle with a lid. Shake until you see the oil and AV gel turning cream-like. Shake prior to each use as well.

The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak. - Hans Hofmann

Monday, May 9, 2011

This is a two exercise series. I recommend that you not do one exercise without the other. Some people will feel foot cramping if they attempt exercise two without first doing exercise 1.

These exercises came from a postural restructuring course I took along with some adjustments to include exercises I used to teach my baby ballerinas in order to strengthen their feet for pointe work.

If you think about it your posture and balance are grounded in your feet. Strong subtle feet give you a better postural base of support.

Toe Taps

Seated Form

Sit forward in a sturdy chair. You want to have between 6 and 8” between your back and the back of the chair. Your knees should be together - touching. Your feet should also be together – heels and balls of the feet touching. If you cannot hold your knees and feet together, make certain that they are as close to touching as is possible and work toward bringing them together over time.

You will place your hands on your knees, your thighs or on your hips. If you place them on your hips you should bring your elbows forward slightly and keep your shoulders relaxed. You’ll naturally tend to slump over time, try to sit tall instead, keeping your shoulders over your hips.

Exercise one

1.Seated as above you want your feet slightly in front of your knees. If you look over your knees you should see the front part of your feet.

2.Beginning with your right foot, lift your toes (heels stays on floor) toward your shin and then slap your foot and toes back down onto the floor. Repeat this action for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Your goal is to lift your toes as high as possible and slap your foot and toes down as hard as possible. The heel remains on the floor and acts like a hinge. This is more important rather than moving quickly. Your knees and heels remain in contact at all times.

3.After 30 seconds to 1 minute has passed lift your toes up as above then pivot the foot out to the side and slap them down to as far to the right as possible keeping your knees together.Then lift them again and pivot in to slap them down next to, and touching the left foot.You are moving in a half “V” pattern again lifting as high as possible and slapping down as hard as possible Be sure that all of your toes hit the ground with each slap. Again the heel remains on the floor acting like a hinge. Your knees and heels remain in contact at all times.

4.Repeat steps 2 and 3 with the left foot.

5.Repeat patterns both patterns using both feet together.

6.Remember to stay seated tall with your chin level and knees and heels together to the degree possible for your body for the entire time you are tapping.

Exercise Two

Sit as above but with heels right under your knees. If you look over your knees you shouldn’t see more than the tips of your toes.

Beginning with your right foot lift the heel of your foot off of the floor until you are in “high heel” position on the ball of the foot. Lower the heel next to the heel of your left foot. (Knees stay very close to each other throughout.) Repeat this movement 8 times.

Next lift the right heel off the floor until only your tip toes are on the floor. Lower it next to the heel of your left foot and again repeat this movement 8 times.

Repeat the entire sequence on the left foot.

Repeat the entire sequence using both feet together.

5.Remember to stay seated tall for the entire time you are tapping. Keep your chin level, knees and heels together to the degree possible for your body.

*This exercise should not be considered medical advice. If you develop pain as a result of this exercise or existing pain becomes worse please discontinue using it immediately.

Self-education is, I firmly believe, the only kind of education there is. - Isaac Asimov

Sunday, May 8, 2011

I still haven't put my barefoot sandal kit together but I did manage to get a pair of Vibram 5 fingers minimalist shoes. I thought they would be warmer but alas they are not. I bought a pair of toe socks to go with them but honestly am not too fond of the way they feel with the socks. Without the socks they are great. That's an actual picture of my little hobbit feet in them.

You're supposed to ease into this barefoot running thing rather than just throw the shoes on and head out for a 3 miler. I decided to try using the Couch to 5K program since it starts with only 8 minutes of running and builds up slowly over 9 weeks.

I've checked out a bunch of C25K podcasts and these are the ones I enjoy most. Laura, the woman who cheers you on telling you when to walk briskly and when to run is from the UK. She has a wonderful accent - well if you aren't from the UK she does. If you're from the UK you won't even notice. :) I think of her as Laura the saucy Aussie - not strictly correct but Aussie rhymes with saucy while UK doesn't and I'm not schooled enough in accents to know the difference - though I'm sure there is a difference. The music changes often and is pretty motivating - well to me it is. If you're not a runner and have no desire to run you could use the Mp3s and as walking interval workouts, simply picking up your pace when she tells you to run.

At first running and even walking was very slow in my vibrams. I'm naturally a midfoot striker but it was still strange having my toes and feet totally unchained and without all that cushioning. Yesterday I did my first session for week 2 of the program - you do 3 a week - and I was finally able to cover 3 miles.

I haven't had the extreme soreness I've read about but then I'm taking a very moderate approach. What I do have is muscle awareness and if I twist my feet around, pointing and inverting and everting them I can *find* slightly sore muscles in my lower legs the day after my C25K session. It's gone by the next scheduled session. I've been doing simple foot restructuring exercises 3-4 times a week and I truly believe that they've helped.

I've finally managed to get a pretty detailed description of a few of those exercises written up and will post it early in the coming week.

One must have the adventurous daring to accept oneself as a bundle of possibilities and undertake the most interesting game in the world - making the most of one's best. - Harry Emerson Fosdick

Thursday, April 28, 2011

During the month of May we’re featuring our Deep Tissue massage. This is a wonderful way to unravel tight knotted muscles while enjoying the sense of relaxation that only massage can provide. We believe that Deep Tissue Massage doesn’t have to hurt to be effective. During May you can experience the Quintessential difference deep tissue work can make. Sale Price $70.00

Monday, April 25, 2011

I feel like this is kind of old news as I've been drinking a green smoothie daily for years. I decided that I'd blog about it anyway on the off chance that someone reading hasn't heard about them.

Green smoothies are packed with loads of good for you things. Tons of vitamins and minerals and antioxidants. They're simple to throw together and you can make a huge variety of different smoothies using one basic recipe. The basic recipe below makes two large servings. I often put my serving in two small mason jars and have half at lunch time and half mid-afternoon. You can half the recipe if you want to make a single serving.

Green Smoothie

2 pieces of fruit or two cups of chopped fruit (may use frozen fruit)3-4 cups of water (may substitute milk or nut milk for water)2-4 handfuls of leafy greens2 tablespoons of flax seeds2 servings of protein powder (optional)2 tablespoons of raw wholegrain (if using a vitamix) or 1/4 cup of cooked whole grain (optional)

Pour water or milk into a powderful blender. Add other ingredients, cover blender and blend well. If you are using a vitamix you won't have any problems blending it right up. If you are using a regular blender you may want to blend in one ingredient at a time. A vitamix will handle frozen fruit more easily than a regular blender.

If you are new to Green Smoothies use baby spinach and only put in one handful at first. Then as you get used to the flavor you can add in more spinach and eventually try other greens. I regularly enjoy spinach, kale, collard greens, leaf lettuce and romaine lettuce. Sometimes I am a purist and only use one type of fruit and one type of greens at other times I mix my fruits and/or greens. There are lots of other interesting ingredients you can add but I'll leave that for another day.

To insure good health: eat lightly, breathe deeply, live moderately, cultivate cheerfulness, and maintain an interest in life. ~ William Londen

Friday, April 22, 2011

What I did do however is to purchase a barefoot sandal kit. It arrived within days but I've been too swamped to put them together. I haven't so much as made a tracing of my feet! I'm hoping to possibly do that this weekend. Time will tell. I need to get a leather punch to make the proper holes in the sole of the sandals.

Those are obviously not my feet! My feet are not nearly that pretty after many years as a semi-pro ballerina. (Many moons ago.) They are sturdy and never hurt and are amazingly resiliant but beautiful they are not! I still love them for all of the things they allow me to do. You will probably get a peek at them at some point.

Until you make peace with who you are, you will never be content with what you have. ~ Doris Mortman

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Conventional wisdom (whatever that is) used to tell us that you needed to bundle your tootsies up in special running shoes, especially if you wanted to run long distances.

I used to run marathons and back then I would bundle up my feet into cushioned running shoes. At that time I was what is known as a "supinator" which means that I tended to put more weight on the outside of my shoes rather than pronating or rolling inward as is more common.

I never thought about making an effort to change the way I walked. Quite honestly, I didn't think it was possible. So I wore cushioned running shoes in order to protect my feet and joints.

Fast forward and I am now no longer a supinator. I was able to rebalance my feet through a combination of regular massage and postural restructuring and you can too. (Watch for a future blog post describing a simple exercise that will help you do this.) But allow me to yank myself back onto the subject at hand.

There is a fairly new running trend called Barefoot running. I first became aware of it when I learned about Vibram Five Finger shoes. It was the middle of the winter though so I didn't end up buying a pair.

Should you want the entire book it's available at Amazon.com as a download for $2.99. I have a feeling I'll be buying it. I don't have a kindle but I downloaded the PC version.

I'm considering giving this minimalistic approach to running a try. My running style is already consistant with safe barefoot running. I am a mid to forefoot striker, I run with very upright posture and with short, light strides.

You'll notice I used the word "considering." I'll let you know how it goes if I decide to actually go through with it. Before that happens I have to wait for a little warmer weather and for my favorite trail to dry out.

Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary. - Cecil Beaton

Sunday, April 3, 2011

An acquaintance mentioned this emerging form of yoga called Aerial Yoga in a blog post. You won’t find a class in NH but there are classes located in Boston. Apparently you can also practice at home. You can get quite complicated in the equipment you choose but it looks like you’d need an extra room and a pile of extra cash.

I'm not sure how I would feel about yoga poses performed about the mat. I know I'd be at least a bit apprehensive about falling on my head. But escaping from the world to meditate in a cocoon-like sling sure sounds quite restorative.

We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing. ~ George Bernard Shaw

Sunday, March 27, 2011

A friend blogged about the fact that she has been doing shovelgloving as part of her home exercise program.

I had never heard of shovelgloving despite priding myself on being up to the minute on what's happening in the exercise world. It turns out that there are almost as many shovelgloving movements as there are step aerobic patterns.

I have a feeling that many of my fellow North Country residents having gotten very good at this shovelgloving movement given the winter we've had - or I guess are still having.

Despite my light hearted approach to sharing this I am impressed with what a great workout you can get using a common, relatively inexpensive and easily obtained piece of workout gear. Not to mention you can take your workout outdoors when conditions warrant it and get some yardwork done.

Friday, March 11, 2011

I'm all over fascial distortion as a cause of pain and eating to decrease inflammation and you'll find great articles on these subjects in this magazine. Actually, I pretty much enjoyed it cover to cover. I hope you enjoy it as well.

Monday, February 28, 2011

How does a wonderful foot, lower leg, hand, arm, shoulder and neck massage sound? It won’t cost you a pot of gold either. Only $40.00 for 45 minutes of pure bliss. We’ll even pull out the O’Shea Butter* at no extra cost. *Pure Shea butter whipped with moisturizing Jojoba Oil and lightly scented with relaxing essential oils.

May your blessings outnumberThe shamrocks that grow,And may trouble avoid youWherever you go.~IrishBlessing

Saturday, February 26, 2011

I found the following story on a web forum I frequent. Her message was so powerful I knew immediately I wanted to share it. Luckily for me she allowed me to do so anonymously.

The thing I love about this is that she lost 80 pounds simply by getting and staying real with herself. When she got real with herself all the obsession fell away and so did the weight.

“Anyway, it's a really long story, but also a short one. Like I said in theother thread, I used to really struggle with perfectionism (and still do, to a much lesser degree.) It started to occur to me that here I was in my 30s, I had devoted my every waking minute to obsessing about my weight, and I was fatter than ever.

\I did not want that to be my legacy -- fat person who thought about it constantly. Seriously, what a f----d up thing to devote every bit of your psyche to! So I decided I was going to accept myself as I was and come to peace with it, or change it.

There are a lot of people in my life who drive me crazy with "I'm gonna" which has become my most hated phrase. ("I'm gonna quit drinking, get a job, start taking care of my health, etc.) All these people drive me crazy telling me all the sh-- they're "gonna" do but never do it, yet I was no different.

So I was also going to have to stop pushing those people to change if I wasn't going to change either.

I lost about 50 pounds at WW and using the elliptical at the gym, then stayed around 160 for quite some time (at least a year, I guess.) The above really started to sink in with me fully, and the last 30 pounds just followed my actions.

I don't follow any particular program. I eat clean but indulge occasionally, track my calories on the Lose It app, and try to work out regularly. I don't spiral if I eat like sh.t for a couple days or don't work out for a week, I just get back on track. I NEVER "start again" tomorrow/Monday/January 1st/whatever (a perfectionist habit thatis a recipe for disaster.)

There's not really much to it other than putting my money where my mouth is.”

If you have an inspirational story please email me. I'd love to share it here.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

I bought an amaryllis this fall. I thought I planted it for Christmas blooms but both Christmas and the New Year dawned to a growing plant but no blooms. I was disappointed but kept watering and caring for the plant. Well it bloomed early this week and fully opened a couple of days ago. I can't tell you how nice it is to have a living flower blossom in the middle of a cold, dark, snowy winter! I believe I'll plant a bulb with the intention of late January blooms every year. Forgive my amateur photography. I assure you it's much more stunning in real life.

This is a picture of our cat, Starsky and his canine brother, Hutch taking a lazy afternoon nap. I warn you, I am always taking cute sleeping pet pictures. Pets can add some serious Radiance to your life. My apologies on the spacing in this post! Blogger is having some serious issues.

Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes yoursmile can be the source of your joy. - Thich Nhat Hanh

Sunday, January 23, 2011

The exercise described below reads very much like the basic stance used in the T-Tapp rehabilitative method. In reality it is a stance that was presented as part of my Myoskeletal Alignment Certification. On closer inspection those familiar with T-Tapp will see the differences. If you are not familiar with T-Tapp rest assured that I will be introducing it in the near future.

Now that I've cleared that up I'll explain that this stance can be a great introduction to exercise designed to rebalance the left and right sides of the body - exercise to "prehab" the body if you will - to prevent injury. Over the next few weeks I'll be introducing more exercises to help in the rebalancing process. We team these exercises with massage therapy that we plan specifically to loosen tight restrictive muscles thus the weak, overstretched, ineffective muscles to become stronger. It literally doubles the bang for your massage buck.Prehab so you can avoid Rehab!

We provide our clients with copies of these and other exercises that will be specifially beneficial to their particular postural distortions. I decided it would be nice to have an online record of some of the more common exercises we use.

Postural Rebalancing Stance

1.Stand with your feet shoulder width apart.

2.Look down at your toes, and point them straight forward. Move upper body forward so that you feel more of your weight in the balls of your feet rather than your heels.

3.Slightly bend your knees, weight evenly between your feet. The purpose of this is to transfer some of your weight to your legs. You should feel the muscles in the front of your thighs working to hold you upright.

4.Tuck in your pelvis, flatten your stomach. The muscles in the abdomen just under your navel should be tensed, and the muscles of your low back will become relaxed. You can shift forward and back until you feel our body lining up in a straight line looking from the side. The ankles, hips, shoulders, and head should form a straight line. Doing this will make you feel as if you are leaning forward.

5.Hold palms facing forward, letting the shoulders be in a relaxed position, not pulled back like your mother taught you. Again be sure your shoulders are in line with your hips and your feet, balanced on top of one another.

6.Tuck your chin in, eyes facing straight ahead. Your hands should be slightly in front of your hips. NOW You are ready! Use the muscles on the lower side of your shoulder blades to help reach down toward the floor with your finger tips. Push knees apart and tighten the buttock muscles at the same time. Hold for 5-6 seconds; relax the same amount of time. (Enough time for you to take in a deep breath and let it out again.) Repeat 5-6 times. Use a mirror at first to help you. The most common error is bringing the shoulders back behind the hips. This is a daily activity, best done on awakening or just before going to bed at night.

*This exercise should not be considered medical advice. If you develop pain as a result of this exercise or existing pain becomes worse please discontinue using it immediately.

**If I've provided this exercise to you with different hold and release times than listed please use those times unless of course they cause or worsen pain. Should that happen please call us and we'll readjust your program.

***If you are a massage therapist reading this and wondering if I'm overstepping my license please understand that I am also certified through the American Council on Exercise as an Advanced Health and Fitness Specialist. I am also certified as T-Tapp Rehabilitative Trainer and have multiple courses in Post Rehab exercise and Postural Realignment. This allows me to provide our clients with copies of exercises that may benefit them much as a regular personal trainer would provide.

Movement is a medicine for creating change in a person's physical, emotional, and mental states. - Carol Welch

Saturday, January 22, 2011

It is copied in its entirety below. I don't always hit this concept square in the center but oh when I do! Life moves forward at an amazing pace.

Serendipity in Every Day

Lifestyle

By Glenn Llopis

Originally published in Skin Deep, September/October 2009. Copyright 2009. Associated Skin Care Professionals. All right reserved.

We all know that person. The man or woman with the seemingly perfect life, all in control, with everything seeming to always break his or her way. "They're just so lucky," is a familiar refrain. And so it would seem. I would argue, though, that luck has little to do with good fortune.

It is a paradox that I refer to as the fortune-cookie myth. Luck, like happiness, is a moment in time we attempt to reclaim. Luck is, essentially, uncontrollable, it is fleeting, like that little scrap of paper drawn from the cookie: unpredictable, ineffable, and fallible. While it is impossible to predict that moment of luck, the key is learning to create and sustain a momentum of good fortune in a far easier and more predictable manner.

When we learn to apply four simple skills, we find the good things we expect from life come more consistently, and life's inevitable hiccups can often be turned to our advantage. Embarking on this path to good fortune is as simple as learning to See, Sow, Grow, and Share opportunities.

See with Circular Vision. Broaden your observation to see beyond the obvious details in front of you, thus enlarging your field of opportunity.

Sow Entrepreneurial Seeds. When good vision is met with consistent, hand-dirtying execution every day, the result is a stable, growing fortune.

Grow Seeds of Greatest Potential. Learn how to recognize the most promising opportunities and give them the right amount of attention, don't let the best opportunities wilt and don't waste energy on opportunities with limited potential.

Share the Harvest. Focus on meeting others' needs to improve personal good fortune, make generosity part of your purpose. Sharing the harvest is one's ability to lead with kindness.

I have found it an interesting truth, as I've addressed audiences and mentored individuals from coast to coast--women tend to adopt and apply these skills more readily than men.

The strong and natural networking skills that women possess, coupled with their eagerness to see and seize the opportunities that lay before them make them easy masters of seeing and sowing. Women, in my experience, also seem to inherently apply analytical skills to their personal and professional relationships, which gives them an advantage in growing their seeds of greatest potential. And that most women seem to be instinctive givers means that sharing the harvest is almost second nature.

In the end, learning to earn serendipity means learning to approach our everyday encounters and activities with an entrepreneurial mind-set. It means learning to live our lives as if we own them. I don't believe for one moment that anyone's life is actually perfect, but with work and the proper focus, good fortune is yours for the making.

Glenn Llopis is a speaker, trainer, and president and chief executive officer of Glenn Llopis Group, LLC. He is president of the E2E Mentor Program at the University of California-Irvine's executive MBA program and lectures at Vanguard University. Llopis is the author of Earning Serendipity: Four Skills for Creating and Sustaining Good Fortune in Your Work, (Greenleaf Book Group Press, 2009).

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined! - Henry David Thoreau

Monday, January 17, 2011

So we have a new TV and what we really needed was a more contemporary low profile bench style center. What we actually had was an old, outmoded entertainment center for an old fashioned TV. It was good solid wood but no one wanted it because it was so old fashioned.

Rather than spend money to buy a new one I decided that we should do a furniture hack and create two pieces of furniture from one. DH was willing to try but obviously skeptical. Here is what we ended up with.

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Before

﻿﻿﻿ Before: I left it get junky looking before taking the shot, much like they always stick their stomachs out and don't wear make-up when they do those fitness before shots. heh heh heh

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Entertainment Center

﻿﻿ After: A low profile entertainment center plus...

Desk

...and a bonus desk! All for the price of some elbow grease.

Working together on this project brought us more than just two new pieces of furniture. It filled several days with the Radiance of doing it ourselves, of saving money, of working together, of robbing the landfill of a perfectly sound piece of furniture and most of all of enjoying using the finished projects in our newly decorated TV/Office area.

Begin to find some Radiance in every day! Your life will never be the same!

To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.- Thomas Edison

About Me

I'm a very eclectic and energetic being. I'm also intensely spiritual but pretty private about it.
I'm a Board Certified, Licensed Massage Therapist. I'm certified in Myoskeletal Alignment Techniques for the relief of pain. I'm also Certified Medical Exercise Specialist and T-Tapp Trainer.
I hold various Wellness and Wellness Coaching Certifications. I'm a Registered Nurse but no longer work in the medical field. I have 20+ years experience in Cardiac Rehab, heart healthy eating and Employee wellness.